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The Sun takes on Auto Trader with car site

The Sun is to launch an online second-hand car business as it seeks to use its red-top “personality” to take on market leader Auto Trader in the lucrative digital advertising market.

SunMotors.co.uk, a free website outside The Sun’s paywall, is aiming to get 100,000 vehicles for sale initially — compared to Auto Trader with around 360,000.

Sun editor David Dinsmore said the mobile-friendly site will build on the reputation of Britain’s biggest selling paper as “the motorist’s champion” on issues such as fuel tax.

Jim Murray-Jones, general manager of News UK Automotive, whose parent company owns The Sun, said: “Some car classified sites can be seen as cold and functional. We will be able to develop a personality that reflects the parent title.”

He added it was vital for SunMotors to stand alone, rather than sit within The Sun site where it might get lost alongside other features.

News UK entered the market with Sunday Times spin-off driving.co.uk in 2012, but SunMotors marks a major acceleration of that strategy as it seeks digital revenue to offset print decline.

The sites will share much of the same range of vehicles to reach “the full spectrum” of buyers.

Murray-Jones said the new investment is “not to be underestimated”.

Driving.co.uk lost £7 million in its first year and has only 55,000 cars for sale at present, which he admitted “isn’t enough at this stage”.

Enders Analysis has estimated the digital classified motoring market at about £400 million a year.